Game 16: Mavs vs. Warriors

Dirk Nowitzki drops 22 points and grabs six boards in the Mavericks 103-99 win over the Warriors.

DALLAS — For the first time this season the Dallas Mavericks stepped onto the hardwood at American Airlines Center looking to bounce back after a loss on their home floor Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors.

Attempting to get back on track after being swept in a home-and-home series with the Denver Nuggets, the Mavericks welcomed in a Warriors team that was on the second night of a back-to-back. The Mavericks (10-6) then used a total team effort to respond to their consecutive losses, sprinting out to a big lead before holding off the Warriors (9-7) late en route to a 103-99 victory as six players scored in double figures.

“Everybody was helping each other and we were on the same page,” four-time All-Star Shawn Marion said of the win. “Everybody contributed tonight. These are the wins that you have to look at and say this was a great team win. Everybody contributed, everybody helped each other, and we got the job done.”

Behind an aggressive Jose Calderon in the early going, the Mavericks would come out of the gate strong led by their starting point guard while first-string center Samuel Dalembert reassumed his role following Monday’s benching. Calderon then got assistance from 11-time All-Star power forward Dirk Nowitzki as he remained locked in his day-to-day duel with Brooklyn Nets big man Kevin Garnett for 14th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Marion took it from there, powering the Mavs to a 28-22 advantage after 12 minutes of play.

With second-year standout Jae Crowder on a scarring barrage from the perimeter and Nowitzki starting to assert himself on the offensive end, the two squads would begin to see a separation on the scoreboard. Reserve guard Wayne Ellington’s highlight reel slam then put the Mavs up 47-34 while forcing a Golden State timeout with 5:23 left in the half.

But, after the lead reached as much as 17, Golden State point guard Stephen Curry would intervene, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers to trim the Mavs’ advantage to 55-46 at the half.

Postgame: Shane Larkin

Mavs PG Shane Larkin comments on gaining the team's confidence, his buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter, playing defense against Steph Curry and more.

Led by Nowitzki’s 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting, the Mavs’ 49.0 percent from the field as a team bettered the Warriors’ 43.6 percent through two quarters of play. The Mavs also used a 12-3 advantage in fast-break points and 14 points off the Warriors’ nine first-half turnovers to assume the lead at the midway mark.

With leading scorer Monta Ellis battling through a rare off-shooting night, the Mavs would see their lead steadily shrink as Curry’s 3-pointer forced a timeout by coach Rick Carlisle with the home team up just four, 59-55, and 8:04 left in the third period.

But Nowitzki and Calderon would quickly settle the Mavs down while regaining the momentum. Rookie lead guard Shane Larkin then beat the buzzer to end the quarter with a long floater, lifting the Mavericks into the fourth up by 11, 82-71.

“[Carlisle] said just don’t turn it over, and they really didn’t guard me. So I just ran up the court, shot a little floater and it went in,” Larkin said of the sequence on a night in which he scored seven points and dished out six assists in nearly 17 minutes of work.

After the Warriors opened the final quarter with the first five points, the Dallas reserves would again provide a spark as Larkin’s deflection led to a three-point play at the other end by Crowder. However, Crowder wasn’t done, draining a triple a short time later to give the Mavs a 92-76 advantage before also drawing a charge on Klay Thompson on the defensive end.

“They played well,” Carlisle said of his reserves. “Of all the games we’ve played all year, tonight was the night we really needed the bench to step up and be big, really at both ends of the court, and they were. We’ve got some guys that we’re developing — some younger guys. They all really stepped up tonight.”

The Mavs’ starters then returned to the floor to put the finishing touches on the win, but not before Ellis was hit with a technical foul for arguing an apparent steal that was called a foul with 3:12 left. Thompson’s three and Curry’s long two then forced a Dallas timeout with the Mavs up just four, 99-95, with 2:33 left to play following a 13-0 Golden State run.

Postgame: Dirk Nowitzki

Mavs F Dirk Nowitzki weighs in on the win over the Warriors, the energy and effort the bench had, Friday's game against the Hawks and more.

Ellis then put aside his rough shooting night, driving into the heart of the defense and feeding Dalembert inside for a slam to put the Mavs up six with 1:21 remaining. Nowitzki answered two free throws by Curry after that, spinning in the lane for a jumper over Thompson.

Dalembert’s block on Draymond Green’s perimeter jumper then left just 9.4 seconds for the Warriors to work with before a final defensive stand put the game away.

Leading six Mavericks in double figures while moving into 14th place on the scoring list once again, Nowitzki finished with 22 points on 11-of-19 shooting.

Calderon and Crowder both pitched in 12 points apiece, while Crowder, Marion and Dalembert all added 11 points each. Meanwhile, Ellis’ stretch of scoring at least 18 points in each game this season ended as he finished with just four points on 2-of-16 from the field, making up for the poor shooting with 10 assists.

“Hey, momma said there’d be nights like this. The biggest thing is we got the win,” Ellis said. “It’s a long season. I’ve been (in the league) nine years, I’ve had shooting nights like this. But Coach [Carlisle] still wanted me to be aggressive. I made plays for others and we got the win.”

Curry led three Warriors in double figures with 29 points on 9-of-19 shooting and 6-of-10 from behind the arc, but the Mavs finished the night outshooting the visitors, 44.4 percent to 42.1 percent. The Mavericks also overcame the Warriors’ 52-43 rebounding margin, committing a season-low six turnovers and forcing 19 Golden State giveaways for 30 points at the other end.

“That team is a team that capitalizes off of turnovers. We made sure we kept our turnovers down, and it was a great flow,” Marion concluded.

“I think it was our best turnover game of the year,” Carlisle added. “In a game like this, where you’ve got guys on the other team that can do skill-wise what these guys can do, you’ve got to take care of the ball. It was important, and down the stretch it was a wild scramble to get the last couple of stops so we could put it away.”

Note: After the Thanksgiving holiday, the Mavs travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks Friday night. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 6:30 p.m. CT.

The Mavericks return to American Airlines Center on Saturday night, taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves on the second night of a back-to-back. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS (6287) or by visiting Mavs.com.

Postgame: Monta Ellis

Mavs G Monta Ellis dishes on Wednesday's win against the Warriors, making an impact on the game despite having a poor shooting night, the performance of the bench and more.

Golden State Warriors

PLAYER

MIN

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

Harrison Barnes, F

41

3-11

0-2

3-4

1

3

4

0

1

0

1

2

-8

9

David Lee, F

29

7-14

0-0

6-8

3

9

12

3

0

0

0

1

14

20

Andrew Bogut, C

27

4-6

0-0

0-2

3

7

10

1

0

0

1

1

0

8

Klay Thompson, G

37

5-16

3-9

7-8

1

9

10

2

0

0

4

2

5

20

Stephen Curry, G

42

9-19

6-10

5-5

0

4

4

8

1

0

6

3

-3

29

Jermaine O'Neal

17

2-4

0-0

2-3

1

6

7

0

0

3

1

2

-12

6

Draymond Green

27

0-3

0-2

1-2

1

4

5

3

0

3

4

3

-6

1

Nemanja Nedovic

12

1-2

0-0

2-2

0

0

0

1

0

0

1

1

-8

4

Marreese Speights

3

1-1

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

-2

2

Kent Bazemore

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Dewayne Dedmon

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Toney Douglas

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Festus Ezeli

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Andre Iguodala

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Ognjen Kuzmic

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

TOTALS

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

PTS

32-76

9-23

26-34

10

42

52

18

2

6

18

15

99

42.1%

39.1%

76.5%

Dallas Mavericks

PLAYER

MIN

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

Shawn Marion, F

31

4-10

1-3

2-2

1

4

5

0

1

0

0

4

-6

11

Dirk Nowitzki, F

32

11-19

0-2

0-0

0

6

6

3

2

1

0

1

4

22

Samuel Dalembert, C

27

4-6

0-0

3-3

1

5

6

0

1

3

0

2

-2

11

Monta Ellis, G

31

2-16

0-1

0-0

1

1

2

10

2

0

3

2

-14

4

Jose Calderon, G

27

5-10

2-4

0-0

0

2

2

3

0

0

1

2

-13

12

Vince Carter

26

3-10

1-3

0-0

1

4

5

2

0

0

1

2

-3

7

DeJuan Blair

20

5-10

0-0

1-2

7

2

9

1

2

0

1

5

8

11

Jae Crowder

18

4-7

3-4

1-1

1

5

6

2

0

0

0

0

19

12

Shane Larkin

16

3-8

0-1

1-2

0

2

2

6

1

0

0

2

16

7

Wayne Ellington

6

3-3

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

11

6

Devin Harris

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Bernard James

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Ricky Ledo

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Gal Mekel

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Brandan Wright

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

TOTALS

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

PTS

44-99

7-18

8-10

12

31

43

27

9

4

6

22

103

44.4%

38.9%

80.0%

Shootaround: Vince Carter

Mavs F Vince Carter dishes on his plans for Thanksgiving, how important it is for the bench to bring energy to the game and more.

DALLAS — If the Dallas Mavericks are going to end their two-game slide after back-to-back losses to the Denver Nuggets then it will take an all-around performance Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors.

Looking to contain the Warriors’ backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Dallas defense will be tested from the perimeter. Meanwhile, the Mavericks (9-6) will try to keep pace with the Warriors (9-6) on the offensive end of the floor, as the Golden State team travels to Big D after surviving in New Orleans in Tuesday night’s 102-101 win.

“They’re good, they’re really good. You’re not going to find a better shooting team on this planet than those guys,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of the Warriors. “I have been studying the game a long time, and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen two backcourt players in the same backcourt that shoot it as well as these two guys that have ever been on any team at any time. I mean, these guys are unbelievable, so we’ve got to find them and take them out of their easy shots. And they rebound, they’re big and strong, and they’ve got a lot of other guys that’s got a lot of skill.”

The Warriors were on a three-game skid of their own before sneaking out a win over the Pelicans. Now, the Mavs will try to get back on track as well, after suffering their first home loss of the season Monday night, 110-96.

Meanwhile, sixth man Vince Carter will try to break out of his own slump after a 3-of-13 shooting night against the Nuggets. And with the eight-time All-Star leading a struggling second unit, the Mavs may need Carter to step up in order to get back in the win column.

“It’s going to take a defensive effort, first and foremost,” Carter explained. “And I think alongside that as a team we’ve just got to continue to move the ball and take good shots and create for each other. I think we’ve done a great job all year, and it’s going to be definitely important tonight. It’s going to be important for our bench for us to come in and keep the energy. If there’s not enough energy, we have to bring the energy. If there’s energy, we have to just keep that level or bring more intensity. We’re very aware of that. We know how important the bench is to our team to sustain a lead or to get a lead if possible. We’re looking forward to getting out here tonight and getting back to the old bench model.”

Note: The Mavericks return to action Wednesday night when they play host to the Golden State Warriors at American Airlines Center. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS (6287) or by visiting Mavs.com.

Shootaround: Rick Carlisle

Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle looks ahead to Wednesday night's matchup against the Warriors, his early impressions of Monta Ellis and more.

DALLAS — After coming up short in their bid to improve to 8-0 at home to start the season for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign, the Dallas Mavericks return to action looking for a statement win at American Airlines Center Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors.

Suffering their first home loss of the season Monday night while falling to a 110-96 defeat to complete the Denver Nuggets’ sweep of the home-and-home series, the Mavericks (9-6) now approach Wednesday’s showdown needing to end a two-game slide. But, after back-to-back losses at the hands of the Nuggets, the Mavs once again face a stiff challenge as sharpshooters Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson lead the Warriors (9-6) into town.

“I mean, it doesn’t get easier. Golden State is a very, very good team,” 11-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki said after Monday night’s loss. “They’re a deep team. They’re full of shooters, they’ve got some big guys, and they can get hot at any minute. Klay Thompson is obviously shooting the ball well and Steph is a beast, so they’re a great team. They’re deep, they’re physical and they’re well-coached, so it doesn’t get any easier. But we’re at home, so hopefully we can use that to our advantage.”

Fortunately for the Mavs, they catch the Warriors on the second night of a back-to-back following Golden State’s hard-fought 102-101 win Tuesday in New Orleans. But, after Thompson’s game-high 22 points helped to stop the Warriors’ three-game skid while all five Golden State starters scored in double figures, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle knows that his team will have to play as a collective unit in order to get back on track at home.

And with Warriors center Andrew Bogut set to return from a one-game suspension, after backup big man Jermaine O’Neal tallied up 18 points and eight rebounds Tuesday night in his place, Carlisle admits that the Dallas defense will have to be prepared to contain more than just Golden State’s sharpshooters.

“We’ve got to play at full capacity in terms of our energy and helping each other,” Carlisle explained. “You know, we didn’t do that (Monday night). Golden State is a great offensive team. I mean, they’ve got guys with a lot of ability. They’ve got the ability to jump over you and hit long shots. They’ve got post-up guys, they’ve got iso guys, they pass it good and they guard. I consider them a top-echelon team in the West, and we’re going to have to be real good and real tied together to beat them.”

Note: The Mavericks return to action Wednesday night when they play host to the Golden State Warriors at American Airlines Center. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS (6287) or by visiting Mavs.com.

Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle

On the play of the bench
“They played well. Of all the games we’ve played all year, tonight was the night we really needed the bench to step up and be big, really at both ends of the court, and they were. We’ve got some guys that we’re developing, some younger guys. They all really stepped up tonight.”

On the play of Vince Carter
“He got some better looks. Teams are laying all over him. They know how important he is to us. There’s going to be times he’s going to have to just let the game come to him a little bit. The attention he gets off the ball opens up opportunities for other guys away from him. There’s a certain amount of patience and discipline that he’s got to use – and he will. He’s got such an aggressive nature that he’s always going to be looking to attack.”

On the play of Shane Larkin
“He played great. He made a lot of things happen on offense, and defensively he was a factor. He made a couple of loose ball plays. He made the one play right over in front of our bench that turned into a steal and a layup. We need quickness on this team. He didn’t play well the other night and he got pulled. Mekel went in and he did a good job. Tonight, I decided to go with Shane again to see how he would respond, and he responded well.”

On game management in tonight’s game
“It was great; I think it was our best turnover game of the year. In a game like this, where you’ve got guys on the other team that can do skill-wise what these guys can do, you’ve got to take care of the ball. It was important. Down the stretch it was a wild scramble to get the last couple of stops so we could put it away.”